St. Paul, MN Preaching from 1 John 2:2, John Piper was speaking on the propitiation we have for "our sins" and the sins "of the whole world", in Christ.  During a climactic moment in the sermon, John began waiving and signaling his hands through the air with a great intensity many have come to adore.  At a particularly aggressive moment in the sermon, he gave a perfect message regarding that very topic for about three minutes as he spoke--in sign language. It wasn't realized at first, but was brought up shortly after by a deaf student; afterwards confirmed later by others.  The deaf student, 18-year old Ryan Eck, told us, "I have gotten really good at lip reading, and so I sit as close to the front as I can in order to do it.  I don't need sign language if I'm close enough.  However, I noticed that as John began to swoop his hands through the air, in and out of the other, talking about Christ going into the Earth, out again, and onto glory, ...

Seattle, WA Linda Gregor is a busy mom who, like many moms, takes great delight in caring for her children, though with it comes struggles, ups and downs.  When discouragement sets in, Linda has found great comfort in turning to the uplifting and pithy #SpeakLife quotes.  "There are a lot of things out there like this, but these are the best.  They have been a real Godsend to me; just the trick to lift my spirits.  Sometimes I read one and it's like exactly what I was needing to hear.  I don't really have time to read the Bible, but someone out there does.  For that I am thankful.  They are basically truths from the Bible, but just condensed down for people like me who just don't have time to linger. Linda has utilized some of her free time, albeit a rarity, by categorizing her favorites into "types of struggles" for her time of need.  She is wanting to start a "Busy Moms Speak Life" group to discuss them with other busy moms.  With t...

Ucon, ID An uplifting story today, from a little town in Idaho, and around the world.  Andrew Boris has become a bit of a sensation, inspiring faith in others over the Internet by streaming his private prayer time over social media.  His prayers usually last for about five to ten minutes, and are done in darkness that is only penetrated by the light of a few candles. "It's important to set the right mood.  Candles for example are simple, and are a timeless expression of light", Andrew told us, "It's a small, humble room--very humble really--but with just a few tweaks you can really feel you are entering into God's presence.  Most of the time I will play the main chorus from a Hillsong worship song on repeat in the background, very low-key but there.  I've been experimenting with the idea of adding a fog machine."  When asked where he got his idea for this, he told us, "In Matthew chapter six of the Bible, Jesus said when we pray we shoul...

Atlantic, Iowa Kim Smith, Owner and Operator/Baker at Trans-Atlantic Bakery, in Atlantic, IA, has refused to bake a gender-reveal birthday cake for James and Amanda Hodgkin.  The baby (whose gender [in the traditional sense] is supposed to be a surprise) is due to arrive in early August, and the Hodgkins have done as many others before them in wanting a cake baked to reveal the gender of their child.  Typically when people do this it is a pink cake for a girl, or a blue cake for a boy.  However, Kim Smith isn't having it.  In fact, they are suing the Hodgkin couple for emotional distress and what they (Kim Smith) calls a hate crime against them, as well as against the unborn child. "This is a two-fold issue for us", Kim told us, "These cisgender, binary bigots have the audacity to come into my bakery to make me bake this for them--it's appalling.  We don't have to take it--no, we don't have to bake it!  Besides the fact, someone has to stand up fo...